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Smash Comics Vol 1 2
Supporting Characters: * * Colonel Atwater Antagonists: * * * Dynamo and Duke Other Characters: * Ellis Cravin Locations: * * ** Espionage HQ ** Colonel Atwater's favorite restaurant * Langley Field (Hampton, Virginia) * Items: * Cravin's X-Beam (advanced antiaircraft weapon) Vehicles: * Black Ace's cargo plane * Three advanced-model Japanese fighter planes | Writer2_1 = George Brenner | Penciler2_1 = George Brenner | Inker2_1 = George Brenner | StoryTitle2 = The Lone Star Rider: “The Black Gang” | Synopsis2 = | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * Animals: * Lightning, his horse Supporting Characters: * Clem Gallent * Sarah Gallent Antagonists: * Black ** his gang * Snake McCade Other Characters: * Sage town Sheriff * Deputy Rusty * old cowpoke storyteller Locations: * Old West ** Sage, town | Writer3_1 = Vernon Henkel | Penciler3_1 = Vernon Henkel | Inker3_1 = Vernon Henkel | StoryTitle3 = Abdul the Arab: “The Fate of Bagdad” | Synopsis3 = | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Hassan * Abdul's many tribesmen Antagonists: * Sultan Siddi Ben Yusuf ** his many swordsmen ** his executioner, Mustafa Other Characters: * Inspector Webley * Siva Locations: * Arabia ** Bagdad *** British Police HQ *** Bazaar *** Ben Yusuf's palace | StoryTitle6 = Hugh Hazzard and His Iron Man: "The First Trial" | Synopsis6 = Hugh Hazzard installs a flying device in Bozo the Robot, then is called in to PD HQ, to argue with Commissioner Hunt about possession of the stolen robot. Bozo's recent, deadly, baby-stealing rampage is still a hot topic, among the public and the police, and there is serious resistance to the idea of its reactivation. This argument is interrupted by the report of a kidnapping, of a banker's daughter. Hazzard takes the case, and impersonates Hilton's made-up nephew "Percy Douglas", thus makes his way into the kidnap gang’s hideout, where he gets recognized by one of the gangsters. Hugh whips out two automatics, and wounds two of them, but one gangster telephones a warning to his boss. Then Hazzard beats some info out of him: the boss will be flying out from Bush Airport, in his personal biplane. Well now the only way to catch him is with another flying machine, so Hazzard uses Bozo to disrupt the aerial getaway, crashing the plane and bringing in the pilot alive. It couldn’t have been done without the use of Bozo the Iron Man, and the Commissioner reluctantly agrees that Hazzard can keep the robot. | Appearing6 = Featured Characters: * * Supporting Characters: * Commissioner Hunt ** his policemen, Ryan, et. al. Antagonists: * "Gyp" Catrone ** 3 or more henchmen Other Characters: * Alvin Hilton, a banker * Hilton's daughter * airport attendant Locations: * ** Police HQ ** Hilton mansion ** Hazzard penthouse ** Bush Airport Vehicles: * Gyp Catrone's biplane | Editor6_1 = Ed Cronin | Writer6_1 = George E. Brenner | Penciler6_1 = George E. Brenner | Inker6_1 = George E. Brenner | Writer8_1 = William A. Smith | Penciler8_1 = William A. Smith | Inker8_1 = William A. Smith | StoryTitle8 = Captain Cook of Scotland Yard: “Stealing the Mona Lisa” | Synopsis8 = | Appearing8 = Featured Characters: * , Scotland Yard Antagonists: * Rene Landrue Other Characters: * Paris Prefect of Police ** Paris plainclothes policemen Locations: * ** Items: * Vehicles: * Prefect's motorboat | StoryTitle9 = Invisible Justice: "The Origin of the Invisible Hood" | Synopsis9 = The Invisible Hood returns home from another long, hard day of criminal-catching, dressed in that big red bag of a costume, and briefly laments his own visibility, then turns on the radio and learns of the kidnapping of a famous chemist, Hans Van Dorn, who had been working on a new phosphorescent chemical to cause invisibility. The radio story names Garrick Spade, a big-time kidnapper, racketeer, and crime organizer, as the likely suspect in the case. Spade has multiple hideouts, all unknown to Kent Thurston, but a suspicious ad in the next day’s newspaper draws his attention to Littleton, Pennsylvania. Dressed as himself, Kent Thurston arrives at the railroad station in Littleton, hides in the bushes, then ambushes and chloroforms one of the arriving Spade Gang sub-bosses. He steals a recognition token, and bluffs his way into a big gang meeting held in an abandoned mine. In one tunnel, he sneaks away and changes into his red outfit, then finds the kidnapped professor, who has on hand just enough of the new formula to treat Kent’s costume, making it, and him, invisible. Then the Spade Gang all come into the room, looking for their missing associate, and very suspicious. The professor plays dumb, while the invisible investigator sneaks out of the mine, knocks out a sentry at the entrance, and steals the gang’s car. Thurston changes clothes then makes an anonymous phone call to the FBI, who promise to send over a squad car right away. They do, and it arrives just as Spade’s underlings are all fleeing the state in their big car, a chase ensues which ends badly for the gangsters, who crash off the side of the road along a steep hillside; their fate is uncertain. Back in the mine, Spade finally loses his temper and guns down the old chemist, just before Kent Thurston arrives and guns down Spade. It’s too late for the professor, but Thurston promises him to always use the power of invisibility for the good of society. | Appearing9 = Featured Characters: * Antagonists: * Spade Gang ** Garrick Spade ** Butch ** Joe Other Characters: * Professor Hans van Dorn Locations: * Littleton, Items: * Hans Van Dorn's phosphorescent-chemical invisibility formula | Writer9_1 = Art Pinajian | Penciler9_1 = Art Pinajian | Inker9_1 = Art Pinajian | Writer10_1 = George Brenner | Penciler10_1 = George Brenner | Inker10_1 = George Brenner | StoryTitle10 = Clip Chance at Cliffside: “Electrified Base Paths” | Synopsis10 = | Appearing10 = Featured Characters: * Antagonists: * Slick * Bugs Other Characters: * Dave * Cliffside Rovers (baseball team) * Hawks (rival baseball team) Locations: * Cliffside College | Writer11_1 = Vernon Henkel | Penciler11_1 = Vernon Henkel | Inker11_1 = Vernon Henkel | StoryTitle11 = Chic Carter: “Murder At Sea” | Synopsis11 = | Appearing11 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * "Pop", Daily Star Editor Antagonists: * Fritz Hoffman, "the munitions king" * Esteban, illicit munitions buyer * Johnson Other Characters: * Hoffman's niece * Sea Queen's captain & crewmen Locations: * ** Daily Star * Atlantic Ocean Vehicles: * SS Sea Queen | Writer12_1 = Vernon Henkel | Penciler12_1 = Vernon Henkel | Inker12_1 = Vernon Henkel | StoryTitle12 = Wings Wendall: “Sabotage” | Synopsis12 = | Appearing12 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * Wendall's C.O. Antagonists: * corrupt mechanic * Lysa * tuxedo co-conspirator * monocle co-conspirator * Boris * other thug Other Characters: * Pat, test pilot * James Pierce, plane designer Locations: * , ** , ** Pierce Estate * ** elegant hotel Vehicles: * experimental fighter plane * Lysa's rakish roadster | Notes = * Abdul the Arab gets a bullet wound. * Captain Cook: ** The Journeau de Paris and Le Paris Gazette newspapers both spell Cook's name "Craig". However in Smash Comics #4, in a dialogue balloon, Cook himself says it's "Creig". ** Cook smokes cigarettes. * Chic Carter smokes cigarettes. * Espionage Starring Black Ace: ** Based on earlier episodes, this issue's story seems to probably take place circa 1938-Sep. ** Black Ace gets a new bullet wound in this story, his second, and Batu gets several. ** Batu will sit out next issue, and then return in Smash Comics #5. ** Colonel Atwater (not named in this episode) looks exactly like a later Eisner character, Police Commissioner Dolan. ** At this story's end, the U.S. War Department does have the blueprints for the X-Beam weapon. ** Wrap-up scene is again set in Black Ace's boss's favorite Washington restaurant. * Hugh Hazzard smokes cigarettes. So does Commissioner Hunt * Invisible Justice: ** With this issue, Kent Thurston's feature is now titled "Invisible Justice," but the hero himself was still, and always would be, called the "Invisible Hood." ** Up until now, the “Invisible Hood” has been calling himself that, only because of his true identity being unknown. ** In his civilian identity Kent Thurston packs two handguns, and uses one to kill gang leader Garrick Spade. * First and last issue for Lone Star Rider by George Brenner. ** Lone Star Rider rides a big white horse, but wears no mask, works alone, and his ammunition is just like everybody else's. * Wings Wendall: Closing panel announces next issue's villain: "The Hooded Terror". * Also featured in this issue of Smash Comics were: ** Archie O'Toole: “Midget Auto Races”, by Will Eisner ** "Mystery at Catalina, Chapter 2" (text story) by Jeffrey Spain ** Philpot Veep: "The Case of the Missing Walrus", by John Devlin ** Screen Snapshots: " ", by Bernard Baily ** Small Stuff, by John Devlin ** Sportraits: " ", by Gill Fox | Trivia = * Will Eisner signed his Espionage stories as "Will Erwin" and his "Archie O'Toole" stories as "Bud Thomas". * George Brenner signed his Clip Chance stories as "Scott Sheridan" and his Hugh Hazzard stories as "Wayne Reid". * Art Pinajian signed his Invisible Justice stories as "Art Gordon". | Recommended = | Links = * Smash Comics #2 Sep 1939, entire issue }}